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Nov 28
Love0

Read our feature in Valor Econômico!

By Invisible on news page

The Black Jaguar Foundation was featured in Valor Econômico, one of the biggest and most relevant newspapers in Brazil!  

Keep reading for some highlights from the piece!

The piece, written by Timóteo Camargo, begins by highlighting the importance of realizing the Araguaia Biodiversity Corridor, emphasizing that the Cerrado is:   

“The second biggest biome in Brazil, covering almost a fourth of the national territory present along 12 states”. 

The Black Jaguar Foundation plants trees on a massive scale in collaboration with local landowners in the Araguaia region, connecting the Amazon Rainforest and Cerrado Savana. In doing so, we are bringing back biodiversity and working towards a healthy planet for future generations!  

Realizing the corridor not only brings clear benefits for the planet, but on social and economic terms as well. In 2019, we conducted an impact study together with 11 renowned scientists from the University of São Paulo and the university of Illinois. The study analysed the total investment needed for the project and compared this with the eventual benefits for the planet and costs that would be spared to rural landowners. You can access it here. 

 Ultimately, the Black Jaguar Foundation will plant 1,7 billion trees to ecologically restore 1 million hectares of degraded land. Camargo sees this as a bold and ambitious initiative, adding that:  

“This area alone represents 8% of the commitment Brazil has made with regards to reforestation and conservation, that has been registered in the Paris agreement”.  

Nevertheless, to make the corridor a reality, we need the support of many motivated companies, individuals and landowners dedicated to bringing back our planet’s biodiversity. It is too late to be a pessimist – the time to act is now!  

In the article published by Valor Economico, Carlos Felix, our landowner partner and owner of the Bela Vista farm, provides a beautiful example of an individual working hard to ensure the future of agriculture and food production. Carlos talks about why he joined our mission of hope and action, focusing on how the ecological restoration of degraded areas “contributes to the increase of water in the farm and to the preservation of fauna and flora”.   

Without water, there is no agriculture. It is that simple. The future of our planet is something that directly impacts every one of us, regardless of where we live. It is also something that we all have the power to change.  

 

Today is Giving Tuesday! Find out more about how to support the Araguaia Biodiversity Corridor here
Nov 28
Love0

Brazilian Ministry of Environment visits the Araguaia Biodiversity Corridor!

By Invisible on news page

In October, we had the pleasure of giving a tour of some of our project regions to two members of the Brazilian Ministry of Environment’s technical team: João Raphael Oliveira (Manager of the Amazon state’s secretariat) and Rosiane Pinto (Manager of the Secretariat of Protected Areas.  

We invited the ministry to visit our after our visit to the Brazilian Ministry of Environment in July, hoping to present our mission and work towards realizing it together.  

The visit consisted of two whole days full of planting activities, visits to the BJF office and tours of the BJF nursery and restoration sites in Santana do Araguaia. The Brazilian Ministry of Environment’s team was introduced to the BJF’s cycle of ecological restoration, from seedling production in the BJF nursery, to some of our ecological restoration sites at different stages, to the conclusion of planting in permanent preservation areas.  

 As a means of symbolizing their commitment to the Araguaia Biodiversity Corridor, they also planted seedlings in one of the areas we are currently restoring in Fazenda Santa Fé!   

Have a look at some images of the Ministry of Environment visiting our restoration sites and BJF nursery below
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Finally, to celebrate this important milestone, we invited our partner landowners and the members of the Brazilian Ministry of Environment to a dinner, so that they could meet and get to know each other. It was a great moment to show that agriculture and environment can – and must – go together.  

We are very happy to have been able to share our project with João Raphael and Rosiane and we hope it will be the start of a long Journey together!  

 

Today is Giving Tuesday! Find out more about how to support the Araguaia Biodiversity Corridor here
Nov 28
Love0

Many new BJF members are part of the 22/23 planting season

By Invisible on news page

The current planting season is certainly the most challenging one we have had yet! Our goal is to plant the largest quantity of high quality seeds possible, so that these can grow into resillient trees along the Araguaia biodiversity Corridor.  

 To reach such an ambitious goal, we need many dedicated individuals! In the past few months, we have strengthened our team by hiring 82 field assistants, 3 field suppervisors and 3 ecological restoration analysts to work from Santana do Araguaia (PA), Marianópolis (TO) and Caseara (TO). 

Acknowledging our team’s great work and development 

Besides hiring new members, we also ensure that they are able to grow within and together with our foundation.  

Throughout the past month, the following members have been promoted: 

  1. Renan Martins Moura Lacerda is an agricultural engineer who joined the Black Jaguar Foundation as a Field Assistant. After a few months of dedication and great development, he has been promoted to Seed production supervisor, under the leadership of Norivânia Diniz (Seed production analyst) and Carlos Eduardo Oliveira (Field Coordinator)! 
  2. Tainan Balestrin is a Forest Engineer and was part of our landraising team, as an articulation analyst. It is with lots of joy that we are now presenting him as out new Forest Operations Coordinator!  
  3. Finally, the most recent promotion was in Human Resources. Rafael Pedro Marques, former BJF Human Resources Analyst, has been promoted to Senior Human Resources analyst. Currently, he leads all of our human resources activities! 

 

  • Tainan post_givingtuesday
Today is Giving Tuesday! Find out more about how to support the Araguaia Biodiversity Corridor here
Nov 28
Love0

Planting the first seedlings of the 2022 planting season!

By Invisible on news page

The rains have finally arrived in the Araguaia region! This means that our field team can finally start planting trees for the 22/23 planting season. At the moment, we are finalizing soil preparation. All of the seeds have already arrived and are being mixed so that they can be transported to our partner farms.   

We have also finalized the logistics planning for distribution and transport of the seedlings, which will first be taken to the rural properties that are furthest away from our nursery and then to farms in Santana do Araguaia (Pará).  

Have a look at some of the BJF team planting below
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Throughout this planting season, we will work in 14 different partner farms, which are spread out between Santana do Araguaia (TO) Marianópolis (TO) and Caseara (TO). Nevertheless, in the first stage of the season, we will start carrying out direct seeding and planting seedlings in 6 farms.  

The rains have arrived in the Araguaia region!

Despite our extensive preparations over the past months, there are a few variables that are out of our control, like the rain!  

Admittedly, we do not have much to complain about with regards to rain this season. Besides a small delay, we have already had two zones of convergence of humidity!   

Zones of convergence of humidity refer to different masses of cold air that move from North to South. When there is a hot air mass in the way, it prevents these cold masses from reaching their destination. As a consequence, this may mean that there is a delay in rain, or in some cases that it might rain more or less than expected. 

In addition, this year is a year of La Niña, which means that it is likely that more convergence zones will form and that we will have an incredibly productive rainy season!  

Ecological restoration is a lot more than planting trees, however we are very happy that, after months of preparation, we can start sowing this planting season’s first seedlings and seeds!  

Watch our Project Engineer Dimitrio Schievenin explain the growth of our native trees below
Today is Giving Tuesday! Find out more about how to support the Araguaia Biodiversity Corridor here
Nov 22
Love0

Giving Tuesday is next week!

By Invisible on news page, News Home

Giving Tuesday is coming up; a great opportunity to support a cause you, our planet and our future generations need.

The movement began in 2012, aiming to create one day with the purpose of supporting causes close to our hearts. It is now celebrated worldwide, at the start of the festive season every year. This year it will take place next week Tuesday, on November 29th.

It  motivates us to see so many organizations and individuals united to promote a culture of giving in Brazil and around the world. The Black Jaguar Foundation is happy to join this movement, and you are all invited to join us.

 

 

To support the Araguaia Biodiversity Corridor, you can contribute in many different ways:
Donate a Tree here 

Give the gift of life on this Holiday season! Why not gift your loved ones some trees for Sinterklaas or Christmas? They will receive a personalized tree certificate showing where their trees will be planted along the Araguaia Biodiversity Corridor! So, in addition to spreading joy, you will also be contributing to a greener planet.

Sponsor your window and join the first 600 community here 

Join our first 600 community here and become one of The First 600 to sponsor one of the largest reforestation projects on earth. Your partnership and support is invaluable and will help to preserve our planet. Take this opportunity to help the BJF and its partners accomplish our ambitious mission of hope and action. You can join us on your own, with a company or as part of a group effort!

In our first years, we built a healthy base for our foundation, and our team grew to include over 140 professional volunteers from 14 different countries. With the passion and dedication from this team, we were able to start planting in 2018 and have since scaled up very quickly.

Support the 17 steps of the BJF ecological restoration cycle here

Planting trees is vital to ensure a healthier planet for our future generations, Nevertheless, the BJF’s Cycle of Ecological Restoration moves far beyond this! Our cycle of ecological restoration includes 17 steps – which involve maintenance and monitoring to guarantee that the planted trees grow into healthy forests!

Buy a copy of No Risk No Life here

Did you know that our initiator, Ben Valks, wrote a book explaining his journey to start the Black Jaguar Foundation? It is an incredibly motivating story that will certainly inspire you, or whoever you choose to gift it to, to follow your dreams!
100 % of the author’s royalties are donated to the Black Jaguar Foundation, to complete the Araguaia Biodiversity Corridor!

Help to promote the Black Jaguar Foundation’s mission of hope and action!

We understand that for many, donating is not an option. In this case, there are still many different ways for you to help us spread our mission. One of the most important ones is your very valuable voice. Feel free to share our content, tag your friends on our social media posts, and talk about the Araguaia Biodiversity Corridor at family dinners. That’s what the BJF team does 24/7! It will make a difference and the planet will thank us for it.

We hope that you choose to participate in this Giving Tuesday in some way. Do not hesitate to reach out to us if you would like some more information about how you can help. As always, thank for your continuous support!

Sep 26
Love12

The 22/23 planting season has started!

By Invisible on news page, News Home

Our field teams are in full preparation mode, preparing the soil and putting this planting season’s first seedlings in the ground!  

As always, the team has been incredible this year, adapting and creating solutions to plant as many native trees as possible despite the challenges we have faced. 

During the last planting season, we observed incredibly positive results when planting via direct seeding. For this reason, we have decided to use direct seeding as a restoration method for around half of our restoration areas.  

What is direct seeding?

Direct seeding refers to planting native seeds directly in the area to be restored. Have a look at how this technique looks below:  

Our team usually grows during the planting season, so that we can plant as many native trees as possible. This makes safety measures especially important during this time. To ensure the well-being of the team, our dedicated work safety engineer, Matheus Monteiro dos Santos, has been working hard to develop health and safety measures and ensure that these are in place at all of our restoration sites and nurseries. 

Health and safety procedures

Before our team starts carrying our ecological restoration, they go through different medical exams, as well as practical and theory training sessions in work safety, and safe operation of machinery.  

Have a look at some of the BJF team after their first theoretical and practical training sessions:

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treinamentos BJF seguranca 2
treinamento BJF seguranca 1
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Join us on this mission of hope and action to realize the Araguaia Biodiversity Corridor by donating a tree. 

 

 

Sep 06
Love9

Have a look at the incredible growth of our trees!

By Invisible on news page, News Home

Two years ago, we planted many native trees, of only 30 cm in height. Now, many of these trees have grown to over four meters high!

We have also been finding regenerating species that were not planted by us, which is one of the best signs that our ecological restoration efforts are working. 

Watch our forest engineer Dimitrio Schievenin explain the wonderful growth of our trees:

Walk through this 1.5 year old restoration site with our community outreach coordinator Joël Boele!

What else do healthy forests have? Seeds!! We are happy to share that many seeds  have also been growing on our trees. 

Have a look at the seeds growing on our trees!

None of this would have been possible without all of the support we receive from our wonderful sponsor partners. Thank you for your commitment to realising the Araguaia Biodiversity Corridor.  Below, please see a video message from our initiator Ben Valks, straight from the field!

These healthy and resilient trees, growing at the heart of the Araguaia Biodiversity Corridor, are only the start. It motivates us to see how far our restoration efforts have come, and we look forward to planting many more trees!